Piroxicam, acetylsalicylic acid and placebo for postoperative pain

A double-blind comparison of the pain-relieving effect of piroxicam 5 and 10 mg, acetylsalicylic acid 648 mg and placebo was performed in 120 patients with moderate to severe pain on the morning after orthopedic surgery. The changes in pain intensity and pain relief during the 8 h following medication were recorded by a trained nurse observer. 67% of the placebo-treated patients needed rescue drugs compared to 41% of the acetylsalicylic acid, 43% of the piroxicam 5 mg, and 45% of the piroxicam 10 mg treated patients. One to three hours after ingestion of the test drug, the piroxicam and the acetylsalicylic acid groups had significantly improved verbal rating pain intensity scores compared to placebo. In the overall assessment of pain relief at the end of the observation period, the patients' own assessment was significantly superior for acetylsalicylic acid and piroxicam 10 mg compared with placebo. In the observer's assessment of overall pain relief, placebo was significantly inferior to the three other groups. Thus piroxicam 5 mg and 10 mg give relief of pain after orthopedic surgery similar to that given by acetylsalicylic acid 648 mg. The pain-relieving effect of these drugs can be distinguished from placebo, but not from each other. They are not potent enough when pain is moderate to severe after orthopedic surgery.